


Preening

by luthor_pendragon



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Wings, embarrassed!Castiel, preening, wing!fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-08-18
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:06:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2156781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luthor_pendragon/pseuds/luthor_pendragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean finds out something that bothers Cas, and helps remedy the situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Preening

Sam was sitting in the armchair with Gabriel perched in his lap. The Archangel was munching on some Red Vines, much to the Winchester’s disgust. “Babe, how can you eat that stuff? Especially when I’m sitting right here?”

“What do you mean? They’re delicious.” He bites another strand. “They’re strong and sweet, just like you.” He gives his human a kiss on the lips, candy stuffed into his cheek. 

“Oh, gah… yuck,” spat Sam when Gabriel let him go. The angel just laughed and went back to watching the movie.

Dean strolled in sipping on a beer. One of the light ones that he kept around in favor of any other drinks. “Hey, Sammy, you look sick.”

“Hey, Dean-o. Liquorice?” Gabe held out the bag. 

“Aha, so that’s it.” Dean chuckled. “Yeah. Thanks.” He takes a couple strands and bites them, glaring right at Sam as he does so. Sam makes a gagging face and pretends to throw up over the side of the chair. Dean laughs again as he flops down on the couch and places his feet up on the coffee table.

They sat there a few minutes, watching the tube, when Gabriel suddenly started wriggling in Sam’s lap. It wasn’t until he was rubbing his shoulder against Sam’s chest, like he was scratching an itch, that Sam finally asked, “What’s wrong, Gabe? Wings bugging you again?”

“Yeah.”

Sam sighs. “Sit on the floor and open up.” Gabe did as he was told and took off his shirt. Dean watched in wonder as six golden-brown wings suddenly emerged from his back. They almost blocked the television from view.

“Yeesh, babe, why didn’t you tell me sooner. Your feathers are all messed up.” Sam started with the top set, carding his fingers through the plumage. His large hands worked deftly, straightening feathers and wriggling loosened ones free. 

“I was too interested in playing with your hair,” replied the angel casually. “It is rather fabulous.” Sam just rolled his eyes.

Dean was still watching in fascination as his younger brother swiftly worked on his boyfriend.

Sam looked up. “What?”

Dean shook his head. “Nothing, I’ve just never seen that before.”

This made the younger Winchester pause. “You don’t do this for Cas?”

Again, Dean shook his head. “He’s never asked me to.”

Gabriel looked at him. “His wings must be a mess. I wonder why he doesn’t ask you to help him. Does he ever go to scratch or anything?”

Dean thought for a moment. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him actually do it. He does seem to get uncomfortable sometimes, but he always leaves the room before I notice anything major.”

Sam looked down at his boyfriend. “You know, I have noticed that when he lands, he’s a little wobbly. Could that be part of it?”

“Undoubtedly.” He bit off the head of another Vine. “Is he flying a little slower than he used to?”

The elder Winchester shrugged. “Haven’t noticed. I never liked flying in the first place. So I never really paid attention when we went.”

Sam and Gabe sighed. Sam nodded towards the hall. “I suggest you go talk to him about it.”

“Hmm.” Dean put down his beer and walked down to his and Cas’ room. He knocked quietly. “Cas, buddy, you in there?” 

A hurried “Just a minute” came through the door. Dean heard the sound of a lamp being knocked to the floor. He opened the door just as two great black clouds disappeared and Castiel slipped his shirt back on.

“Cas, what’s going on?” The angel didn’t turn around. Dean stepped up behind him and gave him a hug. Cas rolled his shoulders, wincing.

“Nothing, Dean.”

“Those were your wings, weren’t they?” The angel just nodded. 

“Are they messed up?”

Cas turns and looked at his boyfriend in that questioning way he does. “How do you know that?”

The man shuffled his feet. “It’s just, I was just with Sam and Gabriel and Sam was fixing Gabe’s wings and I was confused because I didn’t know what they were doing…” He clammed up, realizing that he was blabbering.

Castiel looked shocked. “Gabe has Sam preen his wings for him?”

“Is it that strange?”

“Well, yes. Usually we just do it ourselves, as best we can, but other times we have a trusted angel friend do it. Balthazar used to do it for me, and I him.”

Dean’s face dropped. “Oh.”

Cas just looked confused. “Are you upset?”

Dean exhaled deeply. “Well, yeah, a little. I mean, do you not trust me enough to take care of you?”

“It’s… It’s not that. I do trust you, I just..”

Dean held Cas’ hands and stared into the crystalline blue eyes. “You just…?”

Cas didn’t say anything. He just stepped away, peeled off his shirt, and tentatively opened his wings.

Dean’s jaw dropped. There were two of them and they were an inky blue-black, like those of a raven. Quite lovely really, but there were darker spots. Veritable rat nests of feathers, and some places looked like they were covered in some kind of gray dust. He stepped forward gingerly and touched these, running the powder between his fingers. “Is this… ash?”

Cas just looked away, his features sad and his cheeks flushed a little. “Yes.”

Dean smelled it. It had a faraway scent of sulphur. Running his fingers over a feather, it almost disintegrated. He recognized it. “This is from Hellfire, isn’t it? You’re wings were messed up when you pulled me out and you haven’t fixed them since, have you?”

Cas shrugged. “I did the best I could, but some spots are just hard to reach.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? I would have helped you.”

Cas folded his wings, but the look on his face said that it was uncomfortable to do so. Dean sighed. “Stay here.”

He went off to get a spray bottle from the kitchen, filled it with water, and then grabbed the spare comb he kept in the bathroom. His hair was short enough that he really didn’t need to brush it, and so was Cas’. Sam and Gabe, on the other hand, had a large paddle brush that they shared. Kind of made the bathroom look a little girly with it lying there, even if it was black.

Dean returned to their room and bade Cas to sit down on the bed and unfold his wings. The bedroom wasn’t as big as the living room, so he only opened one at a time. Dean pulled up a chair and sat behind him. He started with the smaller, soft feathers where the wing joined Cas’ back. From there, he worked his way outwards. 

Three hours, several bottle refills, and a myriad of groans and sighs from Cas later, Dean was stretching his arms above his head. On the floor lay several loosened and damaged feathers. More than there should have been, for Dean had accidently pulled out a few that didn’t need pulling, but Cas forgave him. For the first time doing it, his human had done fairly well. 

“Well,” came the man’s gruff voice, “how do they feel? Better?”

Castiel flared his wings and fluffed them up a little (which Dean thought was kind of cute) and moved them every which way he could. He nodded. “Yes, Dean, so much better. Oh, I feel exhausted.” His shoulders and wings slumped a little.

The human laughed. “You feel exhausted? All you did was sit there while I did all the work.”

“I know, but after carrying the weight all this time, and now it’s gone…“ He sighed happily.

“Hehe, glad to be of service. I just wonder why you didn’t ask me to do it before.” Dean walked around to the front of his angel, kneeled at the edge of the bed, and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s hips. 

Cas just shrugged. “I was embarrassed. They were so dirty, and I didn’t know what to do. And all that damage from Hell. There’s actual holes in the plumage, but they were being blocked by the mess.” He tucked his wings around Dean in a close hug. Now that they were clean, Dean liked the smell of them.

“Will the feathers grow back now that the path is clear?” The green eyes held concern. Dean was afraid he’d accidently clipped his boyfriend’s wings.

The angel smiled. “Yes, they’ll grow back. You don’t need to worry.” 

Dean nodded. “Good. Just tell me next time they need done and I’ll do them. I’m sure I’ll get better with practice.”

“I’m sure you will. Thank you very much, Dean.” He wrapped his arms around the man’s shoulders and kissed him.

“You’re welcome.” Dean kissed back. A little too much. His hands rubbed over his boyfriend’s bare chest and around to stroke the base of the wings. 

Castiel shuddered. “Dean, don’t do that.”

“Why not?”

The angel’s face deadpanned. “Because it’ll make me want to do things to you, and really? I've just had my wings cleaned, I don’t want them to be all sweaty.”

Dean laughed. “Alright, beautiful, I hear you, but sometime, you’ll have to have your wings out while we’re having a little fun.” He nipped at Cas’ jaw. “They’re just too beautiful to keep stored away.”

Cas blushed and sweetly kissed Dean on the cheek.

They joined Sam and Gabe out in the living room. Despite having taken so long, Sam was still working on the archangel. Dean winced and swung his arm around Castiel’s shoulders. “Jesus, Cas. Remind me to be grateful from now on that you only have two wings instead of six.” He kissed Cas on the cheek and they sat down on the couch. 

“Hardy har har, Dean,” sassed Sam. He flexed his fingers and continued working. Gabriel had long since fallen asleep.


End file.
